Sunday, October 31, 2010

halloweens past and present

Happy Halloween!

When I was a kid, Halloween was a pretty big deal. My mom did a great job each year, helping my sister and I assemble something that resembled a princess costume (me), or a ghost, or an angel, or a witch, or, as I got older and spunkier, a punk rocker. One of my laziest and most obscure Halloween "costumes" was the time I wore a Curtis Institute sweatshirt with jeans and told people I was an opera singer on her day off, because "they look like everyone else!" My adult costumes were only marginally more creative. One year, I put on a shirt from the Gap and a pair of jeans, then pulled back my hair so you couldn't see the purple and blue streaks and refrained from wearing more makeup than just mascara. I was a "normal person" and I made my boss laugh so hard he actually started choking. Another year I was a cowgirl, which was probably the best costume I had that didn't make me cold, like the year I was a 1940s pin-up girl in a vintage slip and fishnets. Then there was the year I was Grizabella the Glamour Cat which eventually deteriorated to just A Black Cat.

My dad recently found a picture of me he took that year, so if you ever wondered what I looked like about 10 years ago as a cat, wonder no more...

Forgive me; I hadn't yet grasped the importance of shaping one's eyebrows or even just plucking absurdly stray eyebrow hairs...Anyway, Mister isn't a big fan of Halloween and we live in an apartment building so we don't get any Trick-or-Treaters, so I would be hard pressed to tell you the last time I dressed up for the holiday, but I did get my hair done today in preparation for the darker months ahead.

Please pardon the weak, cheesy half-smile. I felt kind of stupid doing a full-on "yay, look how much fun I'm having" toothy grin, so this is what you get. We left a few bits of red in my bangs, but the rest is as black as a moonless midnight.

Tonight, we had the Moroccan Lentil Stew from the October 2010 issue of Vegetarian Times magazine. I used the Dr. McDougall's brand called for in the recipe, and I'll grant that it is a low sodium soup, but it's not doing that label any favors - If I make this again, I will have to add at least a 1/2 tsp of salt to compensate for it's general blandness. It was okay, but nothing to waste my time or yours babbling about, especially when I have a new menu after the picture and VeganMoFo starts tomorrow!

For the first full week of November and VeganMoFo, here's the plan:

1. Spicy Rice and Bean Burritos from an advertisement for Eden foods in the latest VegNews magazine. It looks tasty and easy and I'm happy with both of those things. Additionally, from a VMF standpoint, I've never used canned rice-n-beans and I'll admit, I'm a bit trepidatious about that, so it should make for at least an interesting write-up.

2. Garlicky Caramelized Seitan with Roasted Potatoes also from VegNews. This was the only savory recipe in an entire, mouth-watering section on homemade caramel. I'm a little concerned about Mister's reaction to this, but I've never made my own caramel and I think it could be a fascinating flavor combination. You know I'll report back!

3. Monk Bowl with Lemon-Miso Tahini sauce, both from The 30 Minute Vegan. I knew I wanted to make this upon returning home the moment we had our bowls at Native Foods in California. I've never made the tahini sauce, but it sounds fun.

4. Pasta Florentine, also from 30MV. I realized after I picked this that it hasn't quite been a month since I last made it. I just thought it would be fun and I was craving that Frozen Organic SuperSpinach. It will also be a great way to finish off the roasted garlic loaf with more tuscan dipping sauce.

5. Homey Vegetable Stew with Dumplings, also from 30MV. The spelt flour in my cupboard is getting bored. Plus, this is one of the few recipes I have with an accurate adjective in the title - I can't think of a better word to describe this dish than homey. Possibly heart-warming. Cozy? Can you call stew "cozy?"